Chris van Dusen has mapped out eight series of ‘envelope pushing’ period piece
Bridgerton creator Chris van Dusen wats Netflix’s breakout smash to become a long-running “franchise”, as he moves the period drama genre on from its “traditionally lily-white” past.
Speaking to Broadcast ahead of the launch of the second series today, van Dusen said he has mapped out eight series of the Regency era series and is keen for it to continue to keep “pushing the envelope” of the period genre.
“I always saw Bridgerton as a way to put a fresh spin on the genre and, in a lot of ways, create a little bit of a genre,” he says. “I wanted to question the idea of what a period piece can and should really be.
Van Dusen said his aim is to make entertainment “that says something about the world” but without being overly “preachy”.
The show, which hails from Shonda Rhimes’ Shondaland, follows the exploits of the 19th century aristocratic Bridgerton family, based on the book series by Julia Quinn.
Van Dusen maintains that Bridgerton, which deliberately mixes white actors with actors of colour, is “not colour-blind, more colour conscious” with race and colour also “forming parts of the show’s conversation”.
He added: “I hope that Bridgerton has influenced shows to come, especially when it comes to representation on-screen, in a genre which has traditionally been lily-white.”
In series one, Van Dusen was inspired by the belief of many historians that Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) was England’s first queen of colour, a theory that “resonated and allowed me to build the world from there”.
Series two, which focuses on the love life of bachelor Anthony Bridgerton, follows the introduction of love interest Kate and her sister Edwina. In Van Dusen’s show, Kate and Edwina are Indian siblings, the Sharmas, rather than the white Sheffield sisters portrayed in Quinn’s books.
“It wouldn’t be Bridgerton without the colourful, multi-ethnic and multi-hued world we established in the first series,” he said. “For series two, I wanted to expand on that concept even more, and the Sharma family is very much a reflection of that.
“Whether it’s hearing Kate speak a little Hindi or seeing some of the family and interpersonal rituals of a South Asian family, such as the Haldi ceremony, we wanted to give as much of an authentic specificity to this family as we could.”
Van Dusen added that 19th century Regency London was much less homogenous than many history books and people think.
Bridgerton universe
The showrunner, who cut his teeth on multi-series US hits including Grey’s Anatomy, its spin-off Private Practice, and Scandal, says he’s mapped out eight series for the central Bridgerton story, in parallel with the books, and has sights on a universe for the show.
Bridgerton has already secured series three and four recommissions from Netflix.
“When I first read these books, I saw a franchise,” he said. “I used the books as a jumping off point to expand the world. I added new characters because I wanted the show to be about an entire world and society that would branch out to multiple shows.
“It’s any creator’s goal to create characters that can sustain the lifetime of the series. And in this case, I was able to create characters that can sustain an entire franchise.”
Dodging the Netflix cancellation and future prospects
In the unpredictable world of Netflix commissioning, where a show can be renewed multiple times or cut after a single run, Van Dusen is focused on create compelling characters, rather than serving a huge audience.
“If I get into a situation where I’m trying to chase a market or what I think people will want to see, that’s where I’m going to get into trouble and the creative starts to suffer,” he said.
“I have to do what I feel strongly about and make the television that I want to make and want to see.”
Although Van Dusen will remain an exec producer on the series, he is stepping back from showrunning after S2.
The creative, who has an output deal with Netflix, is in the process of working up his next project, a series adaptation of Adam Silvera’s young adult novel They Both Die at the End.
The project is with eOne, with Van Dusen on-board to co-write and exec produce.
In line with Bridgerton’s race and representation themes, the queer romance story at the heart of They Both Die at the End led him to the project.
“I love to write about family, and I love to write about identity,” he said.
Van Dusen declined to reveal more details about any other developments on his slate, but hinted that he is not “done in the period space” and is also mulling some UK IP and stories.
“[The UK has] a phenomenal amount of on-screen and writing talent,” he said. “London is my favourite city in the world, there’s such a rich history here, especially when it comes to period pieces. Every day I find some other fascinating facet to explore. I would love to continue telling stories in this space.”
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